It's not hard to point fingers about what went wrong for Oklahoma last night in the Fiesta Bowl. You have to give Boise State a ton of credit for coming out to play and not being intimidated by the big stage or their opponent. On the other hand you have to wonder why in the world OU came out like they were playing in a BCS bowl for the first time.
You won't find a bigger Bob Stoops fan than me and I won't scream gloom and doom like some of you have done on this site but I do think it is time to re-evaluate the way the Sooners prepare for bowl games.
OU football isn't going anywhere! Under the leadership of Bob Stoops Oklahoma has risen to the cream of the crop in the Big 12 and if you expect that to change because of another BCS bowl loss then you are mistaken. You can bag on him all you want for his 2-3 BCS record but I would rather thank him for returning the program to prominence. We have one of the best coaches in America leading our team and it's foolish to suggest we could do better.
What went wrong for the Sooners
Paul Thompson chose the absolute worst time to have the worst game of his career. Three interceptions and a fumble gave the Broncos 14 points. The two daggers were his fumble in the first quarter that put Boise State up 14-0 and the third quarter interception that was returned for a touchdown making the score 28-10.
The defense couldn't stop the big plays. Mostly because of missed tackles but also because of blown coverage and misalignment. There were way too many big plays for Boise State.
* Drisan James 49 yard touchdown reception in the first quarter - Blown coverage.
* Drisan James 32 yard touchdown reception before half-time - Missed Tackles.
* Hook and ladder play to put it into overtime - Missed Tackles.
* Fullback pass in overtime - Blown coverage.
* Ian Johnson's two-point conversion - Blown assignment.
Boise State Head Coach Chris Peterson is an offensive genus. He knew exactly what to call at exactly the right moment in the game and he knew he had a two point play that was unstoppable.
Take away the fact that I am a Sooner fan and this is one of the best football games I have ever seen. Congrats to Boise State for flat out beating the Sooners!